Mystery creature catches salmon: So what is it?

Is it a bear? Is it a bird? Is it a monster? This mystery creature, pictured here snapping up an unsuspecting salmon, has been causing a thrilling debate on social media recently.

At first, the salmon glides peacefully through the water, and then out of shot... before quickly flitting back into view as it's grabbed at by a dark and mysterious figure.

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The video was taken in the waters of Icicle Creek in Leavenworth, Washington and was posted to Facebook by the US Fish & Wildlife Service.

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Thanks to the quality of the film it's hard to tell exactly what kind of animal it is that catches the fish.
So a lively discussion on Facebook ensued, consisting mainly of people attempting to identify the assailant with most guessing that it was a bear while others suggested a bird of prey or even Bigfoot.

It seems that the Fish and Wildlife Service believe the creature to be a bear as the footage is captioned 'this video gives us paws!'.

According to Icicle Village the river opens for fishing around May each year at which point the fish range between 8 to 16 pounds in weight.

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